Contract Talks Between The Bengals & DT Geno Atkins Could Pick Up In The Coming Months

According to Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, a contract extension for DT Geno Atkins is expected to “take on more importance” now that they’ve addressed the contracts of their 2013 rookie class.

Atkins, 25, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and managed to put together an incredible 2012 season for the Bengals defense. In fact, Pro Football Focus not only rated Atkins is the No. 1 defensive tackle in league, but his rating was well over twice as much as the No. 2 player.

There’s a good chance that Atkins will walk away with a top-five salary for the position. Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh both managed to secure $12 million annually in their contracts, but recent extensions for veterans like Haloti Ngata and Darnell Dockett have averaged over $9 million per season.